Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is more retro than it needed to be

For a certain niche, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is going to push their buttons, bigtime.

Specifically, for those who grew up with Nintendo’s first major games console, the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System, and have access to likeminded friends and family up for competitive multiplayer, this Switch challenge collection is a genuine local multiplayer hit.

However, for solo players and those looking to compete with others online, it offers less than we would’ve liked from a modern retro-challenge compilation. World Championships has plenty of content, and its charm is undeniable, but it’s difficult not to feel that it’s also lacking in crucial areas, even in light of its reduced $30 price point.

Unlike Nintendo’s previous NES compilations, like the NES Remix games which offered alternative takes on classic games, World Championships is laser-focused on multiplayer and high score-chasing.

The Switch title features over 150 speedrunning challenges, with various levels of difficulty, across 13 classic NES titles, including Super Mario Bros., Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong and Kirby’s Adventure. These challenges range from simple 5-second dashes to grab Super Mario Bros.’ first mushroom, to expert challenges like beating the entire game without getting hit – all against the clock.

Players start off in Speedrun Mode, which is essentially a practice run for each of the game’s 150+ challenges. Here, players are challenged with completing many bite-sized challenges across the 13 NES titles, such as grabbing the first items in The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 3 or The Lost Levels, as fast as possible.

The default game display has your personal best ghost running side-by-side with live gameplay, encouraging you to race with yourself. Players will be rewarded with a ranking for hitting certain milestones, as well as coins for spending on a large selection of player icons and new Speedrun challenges, and profile ‘pins’ for achieving great feats.

Even though